u.s. geological survey

Japanese rescuers battled the clock and powerful aftershocks Tuesday to find survivors of a New Year's Day earthquake that killed at least 48 people and caused widespread destruction.

The 7.5 magnitude quake that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves more than a metre high, caused a major fire and tore apart roads.

A powerful 7.5 earthquake hit central Japan on Monday, the USGS said, prompting tsunami warnings and authorities to urge people in the area to move to higher ground.

"All residents must evacuate immediately to higher ground," national broadcaster NHK said after the quake hit the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture around 4:10 pm (0710 GMT).

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of at least 5.8 struck the Greek island of Crete on Sept. 27, killing one person and injuring several others while damaging homes and churches and causing rock slides near the country's fourth-largest city.

A rare quake rattled southeastern Australia early on Sept. 22, shaking buildings, knocking down walls and sending panicked Melbourne residents running into the streets.

The shallow tremor hit east of the country's second-largest city just after 9:00am local time (2300 GMT) and was felt hundreds of kilometers (miles) away.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 has struck the Alaska Peninsula, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said late on Wednesday.

The quake was at a depth of 35 km, USGS added.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which said the quake had a magnitude of 8.1, issued a tsunami warning for the U.S. Pacific territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The U.S. Navy has started a series of tests on its newest and most advanced aircraft carrier by detonating powerful explosions to determine whether the ship is ready for war.

The first of the tests, which are known as Full Ship Shock Trials, occurred on June 18 when the Navy set off a giant explosive event near the USS Gerald R. Ford, according to a statement.

As muddy rainwater surged from Hawaii's steep seaside mountains and inundated residential communities last month, the damage caused by flooding was obvious: Houses were destroyed and businesses swamped, landslides covered highways and raging rivers and streams were clogged with debris.

A strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit central Greece on March 3, the U.S. Geological Survey said, prompting residents in the city of Larissa to rush into the streets according to local media.

The Institute of Geodynamics in Athens said the quake, which could be felt across central and northern Greece, had measured at a magnitude of 6.0.

An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the South Shetland Islands on Saturday (local time), said the U.S. Geological Survey.

A strong, shallow earthquake shook Indonesia's Sulawesi island just after midnight, causing landslides and sending people fleeing from their homes in the nighttime darkness. At least 10 people were confirmed dead and more than 200 injured but authorities were still collecting information from devastated areas.